Whip-cap



(No Mode@ I y C. E. WILLIAMS.

l WHIP'GAP.' Non. 373,165. Patented Nov. 15,1887.

LUHESSEL 4 lnx/Emmi y y 6in1-J l fr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. WILLIAMS, OF VVESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

WHIP-CAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,165, dated Novemberl5, 1887.

Application filed October 25, 1886. Serial No. 217,105. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, CHARLES E. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at West` eld, in the county ofHampden and Commonwealthof Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inWhip-Caps and Whip-Heads, of which the following is a speciication,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.i

i My invention relates to the cap or head V'which is secured to thebutt-end of a Whip as a means of protection therefor and to impart anornamental finish thereto. These caps and heads have heretoforeconsistedof a closed covering for the end of the Whip, having integral therewitheither a narrow band or ferrule embracing the periphery of the whip-lstock beneath the braided or woven covering thereof or the ferrule iswidened to form a tube, and is placed outside the whip-covering, thusinclosing the butt for a distance of two inches (more or less) from theend. In the former case they are known as caps and in the latter asheads7 They have been made from various metallic substances, and fromvulcanized rubber, horn, bone, &c., by stamping, rolling, molding, andvarious other processes, and have been secured to the whip by cementingor riveting. All such caps and heads, however, have been found to beobjectionable, for the reason that in the careless use to which whipsare usually subjected theyv become broken or indented to such a degreeas to greatly mar the beauty of the whip long be` fore it is worn out.The noise and jar caused by the contact of the end of the whip withparts of the carriage, morever, renders their use unpleasant. One formof cap has been devised to overcome these objections, the sameconsisting of a closed cap of soft rubber, which is cemented upon theend of the whip-butt, the latter being shouldered upon its periphery toreceive the cap, and a rubber ferrule, which embraces the cap andassists in retaining it upon the whip. This construction, While itlargely overcomes the objections to the common form of caps'above noted,is itself open to seriousobjections, in that, covering as it does theWhole exposed end of the whip, it is liable to be ruptured at theperiphery by coming in contact with sharp objects, and thus becomeunsightly; in that, also, it has been found to be impossible to ornamentthe edges of these soft-rubber caps in a manner to correspond with theornamentation of the whipstock, thus imparting an unfinished appearturedat a comparatively triliing cost.

To these ends my invention consists in a cap or head adapted to besecured to the end of a whip, consisting of a tube open at one end andpartially closed at the opposite end by an internal annular angeor itsequivalent,

and an elastic cushioning device peripherally retained within the tubeby said flange, and having a portion of its face projecting beyond thepartially-closed end of the tube.

My invention, furthermore, comprises the application of such cap or headto a whip.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like parts inthe several figures, Figure l is a side view, partly in section, of aWhip-butt having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticperspective view showing the cushioning device and the cap separately,and also as combined when applied to the Whip. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalcentral sectional view of a whip-head made according to my invention.Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views showing slight modifications in the formof the cushioning device.

The letter A designates the handle portion, and Bthe main body portion,of a Whip-stock.

C designates my new -whip cap, which is adaptedv to be applied to thewhip, as shown in Fig. l. The cap is perforated at the end, as at H, andis preferably provided with the peripheral bead I), as shown. This capmay be constructed from any suitable metallic substance, or from horn,bone,vulcanized rubber, &c., by stamping, rolling, turning, molding, orother usual process. The perforation at H is preferably of a diameterbut slightly less IOO than that of the butt of the whip, thus leaving anarrow flange extending inward from the periphery of the outer end ofthecap.

E designates the cushioning device, which, for the purpose ofillustrating my invention, I have shown as consisting of a disk of softrubber having a convex face. As shown in Fig. 2, the disk is providedwith a peripheral flange, c, and when placed within the cap, asindicated by dotted lines in said gure, this from the body of the disk.These modified forms are both adapted to co-operate with either the capor head in the manner above described; but I prefer to use the flangeddisk shown in Fig. 2.

The cushioning device may be composed of soft rubber, leather, or otherilexible material, or of vulcanized rubber, ivory, celluloid, or otherhard material possessing elasticity; but I prefer to use soft rubber,because of the failange, resting against the ilangeat the endility withwhich that substance can be the cap, permits the convex portion of thedisk to project through the perforation in and beyond the outer face ofthe cap, as shown in Figs. l and 2,while at the same time preventing thebodily passage of the disk through the perforation. The capand disk thuscombined are applied to a whip, as shown in Fig. l, by placing the capupon the butt-end thereof with the disk firmly held between the end ofthe whip and the fiange on the cap. When so applied, lhe cap may bepermanently secured to the vhip by riveting or the wellknown pricking7process, or by the use 0f cement.

After securing the cap to the whip, the ornamental covering F of thehandle may be appliedso as to cover the periphery of the cap,with theexception of the bead D; or the tubular portion of the cap may becovered by an ornamemal button, as the fancy of the maker may dictate.It will be noted that when thus applied the convex face of the diskforms a perfect cushion for the end of the whip without havingprojecting corners to become disligured in use, and that the cap beingconstructed of a material to correspond with the remainder of the whipcan be finished uniformly therewith, and thus add to the beauty of thecompleted whip.

In Fig. 3, the letter C designates a whiphead made according to myinvention, which dii'ers from the cap just described only in that theband or ferrule portion is widened, and when applied to the whip isdesigned to be placed outside of the covering F, instead of beneath it,for the purpose of varying the ornamentation of the whip. The disk E cooperates with the head in precisely the same manner as with the cap, andthe description thereof need not be repeated.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown slight changes in the shape of thecushioning device-that in Fig. et having simply asti-aight side, a, anda convex side, b, the peripheral flange e being omitted, and that inFig. 5 having the fiange m, formed by cutting the peripheral groove nmolded into the proper form.

It will be observed that the cap or head and the cushioning deviceconstitute an article of com merce which can be manufactured and placedin the market at a small cost, and that no change either in it or thewhip is necessary for its application thereto.

It will also beobserved that when applied to the whip the cushioningdevice is secured in place without the use of cement, and consequentlyeither the cap or the cushioning device can be readily replaced by a newone should it' become necessary.

The perforation H may be increased or diminished in size and varied incontour from that shown, as may also the convex portion of thecushioning device,without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thebead D may also be omitted entirely, or other beads may be added to theperiphery of the cap to suit the fancy of the maker.

I Claim-.'-

1. Asanimproved article of mannfacture,an independent cap for whips,consisting of a ring or tube having an annular flange at one end and ayielding filling-piece held at said end by contact with said flange andprojectin g beyond the end of the ring or tube, substantially asdescribed.

2. The cap C, having the flanged end and perforation H, in combinationwith the elastic cushion E, having the peripheral flange @and convexface, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The whip-butt A, cap C, having the bead D, terminating in an internalflange, and an elastic cushion, E, held against the end of the butt bythe contact of its periphery with said flange, combined and operating inthe manner and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES E. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

W. H. CHAPMAN, T. M. BROWN.

IOO

